Cindy Pham was taken from her parents by state Child Protective Services as a child and spent most of her life bouncing among foster and group homes.

Her siblings dropped out of high school and some even ended up in jail. Pham worried a similar life awaited her as she faced the prospect of homelessness when she turned 18.

But after she found A New Leaf's Empower Program, Pham is suddenly a young woman full of self-confidence, proud she became the first person in her family to graduate from high school and even prouder that she's attending Mesa Community College.

The Empower Program is transitional housing in Mesa that gives Pham and three other young women 18-21 years old a place to live after leaving group homes or foster care.

"I thought so many times if I wasn't here, I'd be out on the streets, doing bad things, not having a good life," said Pham, a member of the San Carlos Apache Indian Community. "I didn't think I'd make it this far, but I'm happy I did. It shows I'm trying to do something with my life."

Pham said she was in shock when she first walked onto MCC's campus and started attending classes. She was elated when she graduated from Mesa's Westwood High School.
"You have to stop putting yourself down," she said. "Everything is possible when you just put your mind to it."